Look at the year the NHS has just had. Strikes, pay freezes, pension contribution increases, redundancy, massive reorganisation, industrial action, reconfiguration and more. A tough year in anyone's book but the survey shows us that the majority of indicators were stable or improved.

The Prince's joke that the Philippines must be empty because half the population work for the NHS was hardly tactful, but it does highlight an important issue: a huge number of trained health professionals are leaving poor countries each year for wealthy ones.

Today NHS managers want to sell off part of the Whittington site, cutting almost 570 jobs to leave the hospital with reduced maternity services, ward closures and fewer beds for the elderly. Why cut funding for something which works? At what cost is the government saving costs?

In suggesting that the Philippines must be "half empty" on account of so many of its inhabitants working overseas, Philip has unwittingly stumbled upon an interesting topic with regards to immigration and women.

Already a quarter of British women and a third of under nine's are clinically obese and by 2050 this figure is predicted to have risen to accommodate over half of all British citizens, a reality our NHS could not support.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the Sarah Palin of ailments; nobody takes it seriously... IBS is still a condition whose name is met with disinterest, an eye roll and sometimes a snort of derision; and that's just from the doctors.

The debate over so-called "gagging clauses" in NHS employment disputes rumbles on, doubtless fuelled by the outcome of the Mid Staffordshire inquiry. In an emotional, knee-jerk reaction, calls for a ban on such "gagging clauses" are reaching fever pitch.

One in four people newly diagnosed with cancer in the UK will lack support from family or friends during their treatment and recovery - that's more than an estimated 70,000 people every year not getting help at a time when they need it more than ever. Of those, around a third - an estimated 20,000 people each year - will receive no support whatsoever, facing cancer completely alone.

The Francis Report raises many questions about the future of the NHS. We rightly want to know how we can prevent further shocking failures of care and we want people to be held to account if things do go wrong.

Our leadership challenge now is to show quickly that we have the ability to take the Francis report and make sure the NHS, the services it provides and the trust the British public have in it increases and enhances its reputation as one of the world's leading health care systems.

The term 'birth rape' is used by women whose bodies are treated like machines when they are most vulnerable to other people's wills. Labouring women whose minds and wishes are not respected or consulted. The power is taken from mum's hands to gloved hands the second you enter the ward, and you cannot take it back.

ICAEW is worried we are going to see the same operational problems arising that we saw for tax credits - especially for those with fluctuating incomes. We want a simplified tax system that is as clear and efficient as possible. However as you can see from the issues raised, this charge will add considerable complications.

Governments need to get out of the habit of giving our money away. Grants should be reserved for charities. In all other aspects of governmental spending both nationally and locally they should be asking the question: 'what's in it for us?'

Instead of blaming the influx of women doctors into the profession, the medical establishment should be reviewing their previous mistakes. They should then find ways of correcting the current problems.